Meaning & use
a hoodie
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Meanings
nouncountable
a casual sweatshirt or jacket with a hood, often with a pocket at the front.
Grammar: Countable noun: say 'a hoodie' for one, 'hoodies' for more than one.
Patterns
- wear a hoodie
- put on a hoodie
- a gray hoodie
He wears a gray hoodie to the gym.
She pulled up her hoodie because it was cold.
I bought a new hoodie with a big front pocket.
nouncountableBritishinformaldisapproving
a young person who wears a hoodie, especially one thought to behave badly (British, informal, disapproving).
Grammar: Countable noun; often used in the plural 'hoodies' in news reports.
Patterns
- a gang of hoodies
- hoodies hanging around
Some residents complained about hoodies gathering near the shops.
The newspaper described the group as hoodies, which many readers found unfair.
Word forms
| plural | hoodies |
|---|
Common combinations
- wear a hoodie
- You can wear a hoodie instead of a jacket if it's not too cold.
- pull up your hoodie
- He pulled up his hoodie to keep the rain off.
- zip-up hoodie
- A zip-up hoodie is easy to take on and off.
- oversized hoodie
- Oversized hoodies are popular with teenagers.
- hoodie pocket
- She kept her hands warm in the hoodie pocket.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sweatshirt
- A sweatshirt is similar but does not have a hood, so it is not a hoodie.
- hoody
- A less common spelling of the same word; 'hoodie' is the usual form.
Word family
Commonly confused: a hoodie or hoody? a hoodie or hood?
a hoodie vs hoody
This is just a different spelling of 'hoodie'; both are accepted, but 'hoodie' is more common.
a hoodie vs hood
A hood is the head covering itself, not the whole piece of clothing.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hoodie' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A hoodie is a piece of clothing with a hood, so it can keep your head warm. The other options describe things a hoodie cannot do.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a hoodie”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.